Tag Archives: peanut butter and jelly

In the lead up to Mother’s Day, Bon Appetit posted “Mother Knows Best” a compendium of food and cooking related advice from BA staffers’ moms.

This one, from Senior Food Editor Dawn Perry, really stood out:

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Biddy says, “A peanut butter and jelly sandwich tastes really good when someone else makes it for you.” Essentially, it’s the thought that counts. She’s the best.”

I think about all of the things that we make, or that are made for us, and how the act of someone preparing a meal, even as simple as a PB & J sandwich, can be a real sign of love.

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

Both of my parents are great cooks, but the perfect PB & J comes courtesy of my dad. Now, this recipes predates the gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, all-natural almond butter days, but that is also what makes it so good (and simple!).

Two slices of Publix challah (egg bread) – it’s got to be challah and it’s got to be from Publix – toasted just ever so golden brown.

A heaping knife-full of Peter Pan creamy peanut butter on both pieces of bread.

Welcome to Day 2 of rain in Washington, DC. Here is the thing, when it is raining I feel like blech. I don’t want to run, I don’t want to think about how my hair is growing (wider/frizzier) by the moment, and I don’t want to get wet (and in DC, cold). All I want to do is read, watch, eat.

Some might say this is the perfect weather for grilled cheese and soup. Even that sounds too time consuming… I want salty, crunchy, nutty peanut butter and sweet, fruity jelly.

Please note, if you are ever making a PB + J sandwich, treat yourself right and do the trick my dad taught me: Toast some fresh Challah, egg bread/brioche, and then slather both pieces with peanut butter and then both pieces with jelly. The warm bread ups the flavor and out of this world comfort of this food and pairs amazingly with a cold glass of milk.

This clever design comes from Serious Eats and NY’s Peanut Butter Co – a restaurant that serves up so many PB & J sandwiches that they created one for every day of the year. Photos of the clever creations are now on display at the Nutropolitan Museum of Art!

High Class PB & J?

This clever idea come from Bon Appetit’s new blog the Kookery. The clever concept was for choosy mom’s with ever choosier kids. Frankly, I think this works for 26 year old kids too..

Decadent PB & J

These Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups might be the most brilliant thing ever. The deliciousness of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Heavenly…

What do you crave for comfort foods? How do you like your peanut butter and jelly time?

What is better than this? Ok, so this is better, and really good at disappearing (really fast)!

So what could beat the world’s best sandwich that is also appropriate for lunch, dinner, midnight snack? Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies!

I don’t know why I felt the need to move beyond the peanut butter & jelly sandwich, because truthfully I could eat it any day, at any time but sometimes you feel like a sandwich, and sometimes you feel like eating a bunch of cookies. Sometimes I feel like eating both, so that’s just what I did.

Here’s what you will need:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling

cinnamon and sugar for sugaring the cookies

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup raspberry jam

Recipe only slightly adapted from Martha StewartMakes about 30 cookies, depending on the size of the cookie, roughly tbsp sized.

Wow, butter is delightful – but not worth taste testing, yet!

Butter and peanut butter and sugar, and more sugar – getting closer!

Vanilla and egg are added. I do taste the dough here. I know raw egg – yikes! – but I do it anyway.

Add in the flour and dry ingredients, and look at this crumbly, buttery deliciousness! Taste away – still raw egg if you’re squeamish!Ball up those cookies and throw them in with some sugar (I added cinnamon because I like it). I also like how they look like little mini donuts.Bake at 350 – after ten minutes you pull these guys out of the oven and make a little dip in the top of the cookie, bake for another 6 or 7 minutes. Then fill the little dip with your favorite jelly, jam, marmalade.